Management team mailbox integrating email repository and content management store services

ABSTRACT

A communication application creates a team mailbox integrating messages from an email repository and documents from a content management store (CMS). The application enables an administrator to define and manage members of the team mailbox with varying privilege status for accessing the team mailbox. Content such as aggregated messages and associated documents are displayed through a unified view to standardize ease of access. The members are enabled to receive messages sent to the team mailbox by others. Policies inherited from email repository, CMS, and/or third party policy providers are enforced within the team mailbox.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This Application is a continuation under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of co-pendingU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/285,594 filed on Oct. 5, 2016, whichis a continuation under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/353,809 filed on Jan. 19, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,497,152issued on Nov. 15, 2016. The U.S. Patent Application and U.S. Patent areherein incorporated by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

Groups of people working together on a project have multiple resourcesfor collaboration. One of the most common methods is to setup adiscussion board or email alias in which team members can communicate byleaving messages for one another. For impromptu group communications,discussion boards and email aliases enable simple but quickcommunications among the group members. Over a span, a message boardbecomes a repository of useful knowledge about a project.

Another mechanism for collaboration is document sharing. Modernrepository solutions such as content management stores (CMS) allow usersto create expansive document repositories. A CMS manages and coordinatesaccess to large numbers of files. Modern CMS systems provide fullfeature security models, real-time authoring, and other features such asproject coordination through task and calendar features.

Modern collaboration solutions lack the dynamic natures of message boardcollaboration solutions and full document sharing features of CMSsolutions. Existing systems implement multiple applications to provideseparate solutions to messaging and file sharing demands. Systemcollaboration is lackluster and lack integrated features sets.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This summary is not intended to exclusively identify keyfeatures or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is itintended as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

Embodiments are directed to managing a team mailbox integrating emailrepository and content management store services. According to someembodiments, a communication application may create a team mailboxaccording to a received configuration from an administrator with orwithout members. The application may manage a membership having one ormore members in the team mailbox in response to detecting instructionsfrom the administrator or a member. Other users may be enabled to sendcommunications to the team mailbox as a whole, rather than needing tospecify the group members individually. The mail may be sent by anyunderlying modality and the team mailbox automatically fills in therecipient list being used. The application may provide a unified view ofcontent in the team mailbox to a requesting member. Furthermore, theapplication may apply one or more team mailbox policies to associatedcontent.

These and other features and advantages will be apparent from a readingof the following detailed description and a review of the associateddrawings. It is to be understood that both the foregoing generaldescription and the following detailed description are explanatory anddo not restrict aspects as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a networked environment, where a communicationapplication may manage a team mailbox integrating email repository andcontent management store services according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2A illustrates an example user interface for configuring a teammailbox according to embodiments;

FIG. 2B illustrates additional components of the example user interfacefor configuring the team mailbox according to embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates another example user interface displaying a unifiedview for displaying content according to embodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates another example user interface for editing the teammailbox and membership according to embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a networked environment, where a system according toembodiments may be implemented;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example computing operating environment,where embodiments may be implemented; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a logic flow diagram for an overall process ofemploying a team mailbox for integrating email and content managementstore services according to embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As briefly described above a communication application may manage a teammailbox integrating email repository and content management storeservices. As discussed above, the application may create a team mailboxaccording to a received configuration from an administrator. Theconfiguration may include team mailbox identifier information includingname, alias, content management store (CMS) location, members, etc. Theapplication may manage a membership including a list of members in theteam mailbox according to received instructions from the administratoror a privileged member. In addition, the application may provide aunified view of content in the team mailbox. The unified view maydisplay integrated content such as messages and documents. Themodalities may include chat messaging, video/audio communications, filesharing, etc. The application may also apply one or more team mailboxpolicies associated with the content. In the following detaileddescription, references are made to the accompanying drawings that forma part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustrations specificembodiments or examples. These aspects may be combined, other aspectsmay be utilized, and structural changes may be made without departingfrom the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. The followingdetailed description is therefore not to be taken in a limiting sense,and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appendedclaims and their equivalents.

In the following detailed description, references are made to theaccompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown byway of illustrations specific embodiments or examples. These aspects maybe combined, other aspects may be utilized, and structural changes maybe made without departing from the spirit or scope of the presentdisclosure. The following detailed description is therefore not to betaken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present disclosure isdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

While the embodiments will be described in the general context ofprogram modules that execute in conjunction with an application programthat runs on an operating system on a computing device, those skilled inthe art will recognize that aspects may also be implemented incombination with other program modules.

Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, datastructures, and other types of structures that perform particular tasksor implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled inthe art will appreciate that embodiments may be practiced with othercomputer system configurations, including hand-held devices,multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumerelectronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and comparablecomputing devices. Embodiments may also be practiced in distributedcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed computing environment, program modules may be located inboth local and remote memory storage devices.

Embodiments may be implemented as a computer-implemented process(method), a computing system, or as an article of manufacture, such as acomputer program product or computer readable media. The computerprogram product may be a computer storage medium readable by a computersystem and encoding a computer program that comprises instructions forcausing a computer or computing system to perform example process(es).The computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitorycomputer-readable memory device. The computer-readable storage mediumcan for example be implemented via one or more of a volatile computermemory, a non-volatile memory, a hard drive, a flash drive, a floppydisk, or a compact disk, and comparable media.

An email repository may manage email messages for multiple useraccounts. The repository may transmit and store email messages. Theemail repository may enforce organizational policies on emailcommunications. In an example scenario, the email repository may limitmessage retention, enforce user access rights, monitor transmissions,etc. According to embodiments, a CMS may store and manage documents forusers. Documents may include text, audio, video, images, etc. Documentsmay also include combined content such as text, audio, and video. TheCMS may provide, synchronize, group, and manage documents for users. TheCMS may also enforce policies on document access. Policies may includeaccess rights and others. A team mailbox application may integrate theCMS and email repository services and features. The team mailbox mayprovide the integrated features through a unified view presentingmembers with a standardized interface for messages and associateddocuments.

Throughout this specification, the term “platform” may be a combinationof software and hardware components for managing a team mailboxintegrating email repository and CMS services. Examples of platformsinclude, but are not limited to, a hosted service executed over aplurality of servers, an application executed on a single computingdevice, and comparable systems. The term “server” generally refers to acomputing device executing one or more software programs typically in anetworked environment. However, a server may also be implemented as avirtual server (software programs) executed on one or more computingdevices viewed as a server on the network. More detail on thesetechnologies and example operations is provided below.

Referring to FIG. 1, diagram 100 illustrates a networked environment,where a communication application may manage a team mailbox integratingemail repository and CMS services according to some embodiments. Thecomputing devices and computing environments shown in diagram 100 arefor illustration purposes. Embodiments may be implemented in variouslocal, networked, and similar computing environments employing a varietyof computing devices and systems.

In an example environment illustrated in diagram 100, a client interface114 (e.g. a browser 112) executed on client device 110 may display aunified view of a communication application client interface. Theunified view may display services provided on a team mailbox managerserver 104 through network(s) 108. The server 104 may execute acommunication application hosting integrated services provided byservers 102 and 106. The servers 102 and 106 may provide theirrespective services including email and document storage independentlyto the client device 110 and corresponding client interface 114. In someembodiments, a separate server may not be needed to manage teammailboxes. Thus, server 104 may not exist and servers 102 and 106 maycommunicate directly.

The communication application may integrate email message and documentcontent by retrieving the content from the corresponding providers. Theintegrated content may be displayed to a member having access to thecommunication application thorough the unified view. The communicationapplication may also enforce system policies on the integrated content.The application may inherit system policies from the email serviceprovider 102, the content storage provider 106, or a third party andenforce the system policies upon the integrated content. In someimplementations, the underlying mail service provider or content storageproviders may implement/enforce the policies themselves.

FIG. 2A illustrates an example user interface for configuring a teammailbox according to embodiments. Client interface 202 such as a browserdisplays content provided by the communication application. Thecommunication application may provide configuration features for theteam mailbox. The client interface may display navigation buttons 204 toprovide quick access to prior and subsequently viewed pages.

In an example embodiment, a communication application may integratemessages from an email repository and associated documents from a CMSinto content for members in a team mailbox. The communicationapplication may be configured through the client interface fromavailable features 206. The client interface may display a label 208describing the presently displayed feature of the communicationapplication. The client interface may also display unified view featuresof the communication application through common navigation features 210,212, 214 and 216 across all available features of the communicationapplication. The common navigation features 210 may include a search boxto enable a user such as a member or an administrator of the teammailbox to search the team mailbox contents such as messages andassociated documents. Libraries link 212 may lead a user to a CMSinterface to peruse the associated documents. A lists link 214 may leadthe user to calendar features and associated calendar information suchas tasks for the team mailbox. Additionally, a discussions link 216 maylead the user to aggregated email messages according to a matchingcontext such as matching subject lines. The aggregate email messages maybe presented as conversations to members of the team mailbox.

In another embodiment, the client interface may display team mailboxconfiguration features of the communication application. Theconfiguration options may include a name 218 for the team mailbox. Theconfiguration options may also include an alias 220 for the teammailbox. Furthermore, an administrator or a team mailbox member maysupply a location for the associated CMS through control 222. Thelocation may be Uniform Resource Locator (URL) address of the CMS. Anadministrator or a member of the team mailbox may also define members ofthe team mailbox through control 224. The control may provide add orsubtract functions to manage and identify members for the team mailbox.Finally, the communication application, through a client interface, mayenable the configuration provider, such as an administrator or a member,to save or cancel the configuration of the team mailbox through controls226.

FIG. 2B illustrates additional components of the example user interfacefor configuring the team mailbox according to embodiments. Diagram 230displays a membership definition pane 232. The membership definitionpane 232 may launch upon clicking a membership definition control inclient interface for the communication application when configuring ateam mailbox. The membership definition pane 232 may have search control234 to search user lists in either the email repository or the CMS orboth. The pane 232 may also display a list of members belonging to themembership 236. The list may be adjustable to add or remove members.

An administrator may be enabled to manually add a member to the list ofmembership through an add control 240. The administrator may be enabledto type in the name or another identifier for the member into a text boxof the control 240. Identifiers may include a user name or an emailaddress. The communication application may automatically identify themember through the identifier by searching user databases of the emailrepository and the CMS. Finally the administrator may be enabled to saveor discard a list of the members defining a membership for the teammailbox through controls 242.

FIG. 3 illustrates another example user interface displaying a unifiedview for content according to embodiments. Diagram 300 displays aunified view 302 of content for the team mailbox through a clientinterface of the communication application. The content may includemessages integrated with associated documents.

A member of the team mailbox may choose to manage the team mailboxthrough a manage control 304 and edit the team mailbox's configuration.Alternatively, the member may choose to reconnect to the team mailboxupon a loss of network connection. The reconnect feature may be used torelocate the team mailbox data when the address/location of theunderlying content stores has changed, or alternatively if the locationof the stores has not changed but the network connection was blocked forsome reason. The unified view may provide standardized controls for theintegrated messages through controls 306. The controls may includemanagement actions such as new message, delete message, move message (toanother folder or location), view message (to launch a viewer), “junk” amessage (label as junk, or move to junk folder), more features(additional controls), etc. The unified view may also display summarymessage information 308 such as sender, subject line, time, attachmentindicator, etc. Additionally, selecting the summary message information308 may enable the unified view to present the selected message in adisplay pane 310 displaying the body of the message. The body of themessage may include associated documents from a CMS. Associateddocuments may be determined according to matching member identifiers inthe message information and documents in the CMS. Messages and documentsmay be matched according to context such as matching subject header of amessage that is also found within the body of a document. Additionally,the unified view may display feedback features such as help improvecontrol 312 to enable a member to suggest improvements about the unifiedview client interface of the communication application.

According to an embodiment, the communication application may create theteam mailbox upon receiving properties and settings for the teammailbox. The properties and settings may include finer configurationinformation beyond identifier information. In an example scenario,properties may include a name, a description of the content, and a listof members in the membership. The communication application may start acreation flow using the settings to create the team mailbox. Theapplication may also establish a link between the CMS and emailrepository. In addition, the application may provide a fault tolerancefor one or more error cases during creation of the team mailbox.

According to other embodiments, the communication application maysynchronize a list of members in the membership between the emailrepository and the CMS. The synchronization may be accomplished bychoosing an architecture of the email repository having a master list ofuser access. The user access may define member privileges. Additionally,the application may enforce changes to the membership according to themaster list of user access. Enforcement may entail limitingconfigurability and access to the team mailbox contents for the member.

In an alternative scenario, the communication application maysynchronize the list of members by using a members list of the CMS. Theapplication may also use a multi-system members list including multiplemerged lists to synchronize the list of members. An example scenario mayinclude using a merged list from the email repository and the CMS tosynchronize the list of members. In yet another example scenario, thecommunication application may use a third party membership provider tosynchronize the list of members. An example scenario may include accessrights provider maintaining user definitions across an organization.

According to yet other embodiments, the communication application maypresent an integrated navigation menu including navigation links to thedocuments and messages. The application may also aggregate associatedmessages into conversations according to matching context. In an examplescenario, the application may aggregate messages with matching subjectlines into conversations. The application may also integrate associateddocuments into the conversations according to matching context. Thecontext may be any matching identifier between messages and documents.Additionally, the application may display a list of conversationsexpandable to the associated messages and integrated associateddocuments.

FIG. 4 illustrates another example user interface for editing the teammailbox and membership according to embodiments. Diagram 400 displaysunified view 402 for editing a team mailbox subsequent to creation.According to embodiments a team mailbox may be edited to change itsconfiguration information. In an example scenario, a client interfacemay display the team mailbox identifiers in edit controls to enable anadministrator or a member to change the identifiers. The clientinterface of the communication application may display a pop-upinformation box 404 to display present action information. Additionally,the administrator or a member may be enabled to segregate team mailboxmembers according to access privileges. In another example scenario, theclient interface may display an “all other members” control 406 toenable the administrator to add or delete members with differentpermission privileges to the team mailbox compared to members who areowners.

In an example scenario, the application may transmit a conversationusing video conferencing to other members while displaying theconversation to a viewing member using a text messaging interface.Additionally, the application may launch a group instant messenger chatand/or mass email from within the team mailbox. The group instantmessage chat may include a chat history view and an associated documentsview. The mass email may include an email message to one or more membersin the member list.

According to yet other embodiments, the communication application mayenforce retention and access policies on the associated documents andmessages. In an example scenario, the application may limit access todocuments and messages to a specific group of members. In anotherexample scenario, the application may retain documents and/or messagesfor a predetermined time period. Additionally, the application maysynchronize the retention and access policies between the emailrepository and CMS according to policies of the email repository. Inanother example scenario, the application may synchronize the retentionand access policies between the email repository and the CMS accordingto policies of the CMS. It should be noted, that the team mailbox isconfigured to provide a view and it is the underlying repository thatactually implements retention/enforcement.

The example scenarios and schemas in FIGS. 2 and 4 are shown withspecific components, data types, and configurations. Embodiments are notlimited to systems according to these example configurations. Managing ateam mailbox integrating email repository and CMS services may beimplemented in configurations employing fewer or additional componentsin applications and user interfaces. Furthermore, the example schema andcomponents shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 and their subcomponents may beimplemented in a similar manner with other values using the principlesdescribed herein.

FIG. 5 is a networked environment, where a system according toembodiments may be implemented. A team mailbox may be managed by acommunication application integrating email repository and CMS servicesover one or more servers 514 or a single server (e.g. web server) 516such as a hosted service. The communication application may communicatewith client interfaces on individual computing devices such as a smartphone 513, a laptop computer 512, or desktop computer 511 (‘clientdevices’) through network(s) 510.

As discussed above, a communication application may create a teammailbox according to an administrator or a member provided configurationinformation. The application may display the content of the team mailboxthrough a unified view standardizing access to the integrated messageand document content.

Client devices 511-513 may enable access to applications executed onremote server(s) (e.g. one of servers 514) as discussed previously. Theserver(s) may retrieve or store relevant data from/to data store(s) 519directly or through database server 518.

Network(s) 510 may comprise any topology of servers, clients, Internetservice providers, and communication media. A system according toembodiments may have a static or dynamic topology. Network(s) 510 mayinclude secure networks such as an enterprise network, an unsecurenetwork such as a wireless open network, or the Internet. Network(s) 510may also coordinate communication over other networks such as PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN) or cellular networks. Furthermore,network(s) 510 may include short range wireless networks such asBluetooth or similar ones. Network(s) 510 provide communication betweenthe nodes described herein. By way of example, and not limitation,network(s) 510 may include wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infraredand other wireless media.

Many other configurations of computing devices, applications, datasources, and data distribution systems may be employed to manage a teammailbox. Furthermore, the networked environments discussed in FIG. 5 arefor illustration purposes only. Embodiments are not limited to theexample applications, modules, or processes.

FIG. 6 and the associated discussion are intended to provide a brief,general description of a suitable computing environment in whichembodiments may be implemented. With reference to FIG. 6, a blockdiagram of an example computing operating environment for an applicationaccording to embodiments is illustrated, such as computing device 600.In a basic configuration, computing device 600 may include at least oneprocessing unit 602 and system memory 604. Computing device 600 may alsoinclude a plurality of processing units that cooperate in executingprograms. Depending on the exact configuration and type of computingdevice, the system memory 604 may be volatile (such as RAM),non-volatile (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.) or some combination ofthe two. System memory 604 typically includes an operating system 605suitable for controlling the operation of the platform, such as theWINDOWS® operating systems from MICROSOFT CORPORATION of Redmond,Washington. The system memory 604 may also include one or more softwareapplications such as program modules 606, communication application 622,and team mailbox manager module 624.

Communication application 622 may provide a team mailbox according toembodiments. The team mailbox manager module 624 may create and managethe team mailbox. The team mailbox manager module 624 may also integratemessages and associated documents from email repository and CMSservices. This basic configuration is illustrated in FIG. 6 by thosecomponents within dashed line 608.

Computing device 600 may have additional features or functionality. Forexample, the computing device 600 may also include additional datastorage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example,magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage isillustrated in FIG. 6 by removable storage 609 and non-removable storage610. Computer readable storage media may include volatile andnonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any methodor technology for storage of information, such as computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Computerreadable storage media is a non-transitory computer readable memorydevice. System memory 604, removable storage 609 and non-removablestorage 610 are all examples of computer readable storage media.Computer readable storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM,ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digitalversatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices,or any other medium which can be used to store the desired informationand which can be accessed by computing device 600. Any such computerreadable storage media may be part of computing device 600. Computingdevice 600 may also have input device(s) 612 such as keyboard, mouse,pen, voice input device, touch input device, and comparable inputdevices. Output device(s) 614 such as a display, speakers, printer, andother types of output devices may also be included. These devices arewell known in the art and need not be discussed at length here.

Computing device 600 may also contain communication connections 616 thatallow the device to communicate with other devices 618, such as over awireless network in a distributed computing environment, a satellitelink, a cellular link, and comparable mechanisms. Other devices 618 mayinclude computer device(s) that execute communication applications,storage servers, and comparable devices. Communication connection(s) 616is one example of communication media. Communication media can includetherein computer readable instructions, data structures, programmodules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrierwave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information deliverymedia. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one ormore of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encodeinformation in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation,communication media includes wired media such as a wired network ordirect-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF,infrared and other wireless media.

Example embodiments also include methods. These methods can beimplemented in any number of ways, including the structures described inthis document. One such way is by machine operations, of devices of thetype described in this document.

Another optional way is for one or more of the individual operations ofthe methods to be performed in conjunction with one or more humanoperators performing some. These human operators need not be co-locatedwith each other, but each can be only with a machine that performs aportion of the program.

FIG. 7 illustrates a logic flow diagram for an overall process ofemploying a team mailbox for integrating email and content managementstore services according to embodiments. Process 700 may be implementedby a communication application in some examples.

Process 700 may begin with operation 710 creating a team mailbox inresponse to receiving a configuration from an administrator or a memberwith sufficient privileges to create a team mailbox. At operation 720,the communication application may manage a membership in the teammailbox in response to detecting instructions from the administrator orthe member. The instructions may include a list of members definingusers with privileges to access the team mailbox. As part of providing ateam mailbox, the communication application may also provide a unifiedview of content in the team mailbox. The content may include messagesintegrated with associated documents at operation 730. In response toreceiving a communication (email, conference request, text message,etc.), the communication application may group-send the communication tothe team members without a need for the sender to individually identifythe members at operation 740. The modality of the communication may bepreserved. The modalities may include text messaging, videoconferencing, audio conferencing, file sharing, etc. At operation 750,the communication application may apply one or more mailbox policies toassociated content.

Some embodiments may be implemented in a computing device that includesa communication module, a memory, and a processor, where the processorexecutes a method as described above or comparable ones in conjunctionwith instructions stored in the memory. Other embodiments may beimplemented as a computer readable storage medium with instructionsstored thereon for executing a method as described above or similarones.

The operations included in process 700 are for illustration purposes.Managing a team mailbox to provide integrated email repository and CMSservices may be implemented by similar processes with fewer oradditional steps, as well as in different order of operations using theprinciples described herein.

The above specification, examples and data provide a completedescription of the manufacture and use of the composition of theembodiments. Although the subject matter has been described in languagespecific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to beunderstood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above.Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed asexample forms of implementing the claims and embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method executed on a computing device to managea collaboration service, the method comprising: providing thecollaboration service that integrates services of a message repositoryand a content management store to a group of users; providing a unifiedview of content associated with the collaboration service to bedisplayed through a client interface, the content comprising messagesretrieved from the message repository and documents retrieved from thecontent management store, wherein the messages and the documents aresearchable within the collaboration service; and upon receiving acommunication addressed to a team comprising a subset of the group ofusers within the collaboration service, group-sending the communicationto the team.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: providing anavigation menu within the unified view, wherein the navigation menucomprises a search box and one or more navigation links.
 3. The methodof claim 2, wherein the search box enables the messages and thedocuments within the collaboration service to be searched for.
 4. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the one or more navigation links include afirst navigation link to the messages, a second navigation link to thedocuments, and a third navigation link to a calendar comprising tasksassociated with the group of users.
 5. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: providing a membership definition pane associated with thecollaboration service to be displayed through the client interface to anadministrator within the group of users.
 6. The method of claim 5,wherein the membership definition pane enables the administrator todefine one or more of: the group of users, one or more teams comprisingone or more subsets of the group of users, and access privilegesassociated with the messages and the documents for each user within thegroup of users or for each of the one or more teams.
 7. The method ofclaim 5, wherein the membership definition pane includes a searchcontrol to enable the administrator to search user lists of the messagerepository and the content management store.
 8. The method of claim 1,further comprising: synchronizing a list of users within the group ofusers between the message repository and the content management store.9. The method of claim 8, wherein the synchronization comprisesemployment of one or more of: a master list of user access from themessage repository; a user list from the content management store; amulti-master system including multiple merged lists from the messagerepository and the content management store; and a user list from athird party membership provider.
 10. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: integrating one or more of the documents into one or more ofthe messages based on a matching context of the one or more documents tothe one or more messages.
 11. The method of claim 10, furthercomprising: aggregating two or more of the messages into a conversationbased on a matching context between the two or more of the messages. 12.The method of claim 11, further comprising: providing the conversationin a list of conversations within the unified view, wherein the list ofthe conversations is expandable to the aggregated messages and theintegrated documents.
 13. A computing device to manage a collaborationservice, the computing device comprising: a communication interfaceconfigured to facilitate communication among the computing device, amessage repository, and a content management store; a memory configuredto store instructions; and a processor coupled to the communicationinterface and the memory, wherein the processor in conjunction with theinstructions is configured to: provide the collaboration service thatintegrates services of the message repository and the content managementstore to a group of users; provide a unified view of content associatedwith the collaboration service to be displayed through a clientinterface, the content comprising messages retrieved from the messagerepository and documents retrieved from the content management store,wherein the messages and the documents are searchable within thecollaboration service; and upon receiving a communication addressed to ateam comprising a subset of the group of users within the collaborationservice, group-send the communication to the team.
 14. The computingdevice of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:provide summary message information associated with each of the messageswithin the unified view.
 15. The computing device of claim 14, whereinthe processor is further configured to: in response to detecting aselection of the summary message information associated with a messagefrom the messages, providing a body of the message to be displayedwithin the unified view, wherein the body includes one or more of thedocuments integrated into the message based on a matching context of theone or more documents to the message.
 16. The computing device of claim13, wherein the processor is further configured to launch a groupinstant messenger chat from within the collaboration service, whereinthe group instant messenger chat includes a chat history view and anassociated documents view.
 17. The computing device of claim 13, whereinthe processor is configured to group-send the communication to the teamusing a modality of the communication that includes one of textmessaging, video conferencing, audio conferencing, and file sharing. 18.A system to manage a collaboration service, the system comprising: afirst server associated with a message service provider configured toprovide services of a message repository; a second server associatedwith a content storage provider configured to provide services of acontent management store; and a third server communicatively coupled tothe first server and the second server, the third server comprising: amemory configured to store instructions; and a processor coupled to thememory, wherein the processor in conjunction with the instructions isconfigured to: provide the collaboration service that integratesservices of the message repository and the content management store to agroup of users; provide a unified view of content associated with thecollaboration service to be displayed through a client interface, thecontent comprising messages retrieved from the message repository anddocuments retrieved from the content management store, wherein themessages and the documents are searchable within the collaborationservice; and upon receiving a communication addressed to a teamcomprising a subset of the group of users within the collaborationservice, group-send the communication to the team.
 19. The system ofclaim 18, wherein an access to the messages and the documents is limitedbased on a set of retention and access policies associated with one ormore of the collaboration service, the message repository, the contentmanagement store, and a third party policy provider.
 20. The system ofclaim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to: in response todetecting a new location of one or both of the message repository andthe content management store, reestablish a connection between thecollaboration service and the one or both of the message repository andthe content management store.